Active Magazine - Cover Story "Fit and fabulous at 50" A fitness and weight loss success story.
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Active Magazine - Cover Story "Fit and fabulous at 50"
1. Celebrating 25Years!
Travel Over-the-
A Taste of counter
Thailand Skin care
Road trip
through
New Mexico FASHION
DIARY
2010
runway
picks
A fitness and
Fit and
fabulous
weight loss
success story
JAN/FEB 10 $4.95
activeadultmag.com
at 50
ADULT-LIFESTYLE COMMUNITIES: Featuring exclusive maps and amenity charts
2. weight loss
It took more than three
years but I lost 50 inches
for my 50th birthday
Story by Maureen S. Catania
FEELING F IT
I
was nearly 40 before I devel-
oped a weight problem.
Until that time I thought I
was blessed with the mytho-
logical gene that enables one
to eat anything they want
without gaining an ounce.
looking fabulous
And I do mean anything. In my
youth, it wasn¡¯t uncommon for me to when the wakeup call came loud and ness. I had no energy, a low libido,
have a chocolate bar and coffee for clear. Someone reminded me that both and poor self-image. Health-wise I
breakfast, followed by a cigarette or of my parents died in their early fifties was falling apart.
two. Not to mention my love of birth- and I shouldn¡¯t tempt fate by carrying To regain control of my life, I
day cake: it didn¡¯t matter if it was my around so much extra weight. embarked on a two-tier weight loss
birthday or not. By my mid-forties I was no longer program that included losing weight
For so many years my bad eating hovering under 100 pounds. I had with the help of Herbal Magic and
behaviour continued to reward me. I ballooned to 171 pounds. And I was joining the Fitness Clubs of Canada. Maureen¡¯s
am five-foot-two and was then 95 in serious denial.
pounds. After it was discovered I had
After joining Herbal Magic and
reviewing the eating program with Top Ten Tips
I coasted along on the assumption hypothyroidism, I came to the con- the HM coach, I wondered how I 1 Eliminate all trigger 4 Seek a weight-loss 8 Reward good results with
that other people needed to watch clusion that I was always going to could eat so little and not feel starved. foods from your diet program to suit your needs something other than food
their weight, count calories, power struggle with my weight. Bittersweet, I had to retrain my brain and my
walk, and generally deny themselves I now felt I had the perfect excuse stomach to eat healthier than I had 2 Develop simple, positive 5 Join a busy gym; it will 9 Throw out your ¡°fat¡± clothes
behaviours to support motivate you to workout and invest in something new
Photography, Joel Roberts
the pleasure of foods that I had so for being fat. been, and to control my portions.
readily indulged in, without a I became used to the side effects In a few short weeks on the HM the new you 6 If you slip up, don¡¯t get 10 Change your attitude and
thought to my size 2 waistline. of being overweight. The shortness program, I discovered where the 3 If physically capable, discouraged, get help you¡¯ll change your life
Then, like Humpty Dumpty, my of breath, acid reflux after eating, magic was. By following the pre- commit to a fitness 7 Forecast attainable
personal concept of who I was came snoring in my sleep, aches and pains scribed eating plan, which includes a routine short-term goals
crashing down around me. I was 46 everywhere, and the mental foggi- daily balance of protein, starch, fruits,
?? Active J A N U A RY / F E B R U A RY 2 0 1 0 activeadultmag.com Active J A N U A RY / F E B R U A RY 2 0 1 0 ??
3. weight loss
Don¡¯t kid yourself that you can lose weight and then go
back to old eating habits. Losing weight and keeping it
off is a lifestyle change, it¡¯s not a short-term application.
vegetables, dairy and healthy fats, devoted husband Michael. HERBAL MAGIC
plus plenty of water along with the I¡¯ve changed my wardrobe entirely. Established in 1996
natural supplements, I was no longer I wear dresses and skirts that com- Over 350 franchise centres
hungry all the time. plement my figure and I feel like a
I found I could actually stick to woman again. And, I have resumed 1.877.237.7225
the program and not cheat. Each wearing heels. herbalmagic.ca
week I lost weight. What helped me When I was overweight I felt
stay the course was the constant mon- invisible. Now, I feel brand new and FITNESS CLUBS
itoring and weighing in at Herbal ready to enjoy another 50 years! OF CANADA
Magic, three times a week. I was Exercise & cardio equipment
accountable to someone and they Group exercise
were keeping score.
What I liked most about the pro-
Personal Trainer Spin classes
Personal training
gram was it allowed me to pick the Mike Clements 905.727.1100
foods I enjoyed and buy them at my
1
local supermarket. I eliminated sugar, Success is dependent on fitnessclubsofcanada.com
salt and fried foods from my diet com- the time frame required
pletely, and I stopped buying anything to achieve one's goals. If goals can be achieved in shorter
that was pre-packaged and processed. time frames, the chances of positive habits being formed
I haven¡¯t eaten pizza in three years! are dramatically increased. This is a major reason why
Pizza is my trigger food. If I start, I personal training is so effective at building positive lifestyle
can¡¯t stop, so I avoid it entirely. changes.
It was seven months into the
weight loss program when I joined
the fitness club. At first, it was a chal-
lenge to make the time and put in the
2 It¡¯s better to start 3 days a week rather than every day.
The body adapts, mentally and physically, to a new
stimulus.
effort, but now I go five times a week.
Six months into the fitness routine,
though, I wasn¡¯t seeing the results I 3 Diet is a bad word. In my opinion proper carbohydrate
selection to maintain insulin levels in the body, with the
adequate amounts of protein, is the best choice for proper
expected. Then I began working out
with Mike Clements, a professional nutrition.
4
body builder and personal trainer. At the start of the program, define how success is
Because I have a torn meniscus (a
measured. It¡¯s not always measured in pounds and
common knee injury), Clements cus-
inches. Success may be measured in strength, endurance,
tomized a safe, results-oriented pro-
gram for me. With every workout, and even timeduration etc.
he watched my form and pushed me
to the limit ¨C beyond what I had done
on my own.
5 The first 8-10 weeks is a crucial period. You must see
results during this initial period to build up confidence.
This will lead to an increase in motivation.
After three years of staying
focused on my goal, regaining my
health, and becoming more fit than
I ever dreamed possible, I have lost
6 With today's hectic schedules, there is not always
enough time for proper and adequate nutrition.
On occasion, I do recommend protein or vitamin
50 inches, and nearly 50 pounds. I supplementation.
celebrated my fiftieth birthday danc-
ing the rumba in the arms of my
?? Active J A N U A RY / F E B R U A RY 2 0 1 0 activeadultmag.com
4. weight loss
MORE TIPS FROM MAUREEN
Morning Starter
I like to start my day with Agnes Ramsay¡¯s Baked
Apple Oatmeal ¨C it sticks to my ribs and sustains
me all morning. Made with egg whites, grated
apple and skim milk, plus a few other ingredients,
I top it with fresh or frozen blueberries and sugar-
free apple jam. For the full recipe, visit
activeadultmag.com. Ramsay is a personal trainer.
You can contact her at agnes9@sympatico.ca.
After Workout Nutrition
I enjoy either of these ¡°power¡± beverages
after a workout.
? Vanilla bean ISO Protein shake with 8 oz.
of Bolthouse Farms 50/50 Berry (fruit &
vegetable blend)
? VegeGreens mixed with 4 oz. of cherry juice
and 4 oz. of water
I find that foods rich in nutrients like fruits and
veggies work best to sustain me between meals.
On Ocassion
Because I still crave chocolate once in a while, I
limit myself to one Dove Dark Chocolate Square.
Honestly, I can eat only one.
Each square has 40 calories
and 2.5 grams of fat.
Eat Your Heart Out A Source of Inspiration
Tuesday, March 2 I look forward to each issue of Clean Eating magazine.
Le Treport Convention Centre There¡¯s always a success story, fitness routines and lots
Mississauga of mouth-watering, super low-fat recipes. I also refer
to these companion books: The Eat-Clean Diet and
The 9th Annual Eat Your
The Eat-Clean Diet Workout by Tosca Reno, published
Heart Out Event, in support by Robert Kennedy Publishing. To learn more about
of the Heart and Stroke clean eating, visit eatcleandiet.com.
Foundation, is an event that
caters to your taste buds and
the health of your heart. Teamwork Raises Pain Threshold
Enjoy the creations of some of Want to work out harder while feeling less pain? Consider
Mississauga¡¯s finest chefs, a sport that involves training as a team. Oxford University
featuring heart-healthy food researchers tested the pain thresholds of 12 Oxford Boat
and wine, while enjoying Race rowers (as measured by how long the athletes could
music, live and silent auctions, bear wearing an inflated blood pressure cuff) following
and much more. A popular different types of training sessions. While any exercise
event, you should make your significantly increased their pain thresholds, team members
reservations soon. were able to tolerate twice as much pain after training
647.500.8478 together versus after working out solo.
eatyourheartoutevent.com SOURCE: Biology Letters
?? Active J A N U A RY / F E B R U A RY 2 0 1 0 activeadultmag.com